Panelboard construction



Jan. 13, 1959 A. H. VEITCH EI'AL PANELBOARD CONSTRUCTION Filed May 20,1954 ILL Wm m. J Rww MD We, "W wi s $2M r M 1$ r A] Unitcd States Patent2,869,042 PANELBOARD CONSTRUCTION Application May 20, 1954, Serial No.431,026 3 Claims. (Cl. 317-119) Bangert, Jr., Electric Com- The presentinvention relates to an improved panelboard construction andparticularly to panelboards of the plug-in type.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved panelboard ofthe type having a row of stab contacts providing detachable line orsupply connections for circuit breakers, or similar devices.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved panelboardconstruction, in which the bus bars are supported on one side of thepanel with adequate spacing for air insulation, and are contacteddirectly through the panel by contacts arranged in a row and overlyingone of the bus bars.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in theappended claims. In the drawing, Figure l is a perspective view of apanelboard, embodying our invention, showing one breaker in mountedposition, and one removed from the panel; Figure 2 is a sectional viewtaken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a sectional viewtaken along the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the present invention is illustrated asembodied in a panelboard, including two similar panels, and 11, ofpro-molded insulating material. The panelboard is thus shown as of thesectional type, although it is apparent that any size board could bemade in a single piece, if desired. The particular panelboardillustrated is designed to accommodate threepole circuit breakers, suchas illustrated at 12 and 13. The breaker i2 is shown mounted on thepanel by means of securing bolts 14, which extend into suitable threadedopenings 15a, provided in the panel mounting brackets 15. As illustratedby the View of the breaker 13, each breaker is provided with threesocket contacts 16, 1'7 and 18, which provide the line contacts, andthree similar load contacts, all designated by the numeral 19.

The panelboard, embodying our invention, and suitable for accommodatingeither single pole breakers or three pole breakers, such as illustratedat 13, will now be described in detail. Since panelboards so and 11 areidentical, only one will be described and the same reference numeralswill be applied to both panelboards to designate corresponding parts.The supply or line contacts of the panelboard are provided by theU-shaped contacts 20, 21 and 22 arranged in a row on the front of thepanel and each received within a recess to provide barrierstherebetween. The contact members are provided with upstanding contactprongs a, 21a and 22a, respectively, for engaging the contacts of one ormore circuit breakers. As illustrated, the panelboard 1a is provided onthe rear surface thereof with bosses 23, 24 and '25, extending inparallel relation in the same longitudinal direction as the row ofcontacts and providing supports for supply bus bars 26, 27 and 28. Asillustrated, the boss 24 is the bottom of a deep recess, the side walls29 of which extend above the bosses 23 and 25, to provide insulatingbarriers between the bus bars. This particular construction providesadequate spacing for air insulation of the bus bars 26, 27 and 28, andat the same time provides a compact arrangement as far as transversespacing is concerned so that the connection of the stab contacts 20, 21and 22, with the bus bars is facilitated. By offsetting the central bar24 it becomes possible to bring the two outside bars 26 and 28 closertogether than would otherwise be possible. The insulation spacingthrough air and over the surface of the side of the base 10 would, forinstance, be substantially decreased if the bar were all in a commonplane.

By reference to Figure 2, it will be noted that the contact 20 isprovided with a terminal portion 20b which extends to one side of therow of contacts, through an opening 30 in the panel and terminates inengagement with bus bar 28, to which it is secured by meas of a suitablescrew 31. In a similar manner, contact 22 is provided with a similarterminal portion (not visible in the drawing) which extends through anopening 32 located on the opposite side of the row of terminals and intoengagement with bus bar 26 to which it is secured. The intermediatecontact 21 is seated in a deeper recess 33 and directly overlies thecentral bus bar 27 which it contacts and to which it is secured by ascrew 34. Thus, the present invention provides a novel mounting for thebus bars on one side of the panelboard to which the plug-in contacts aredirectly connected through openings provided in the panelboard,successive contacts in a row being connected to different bus bars.

While in the case of many circuit breakers the load connections are madedirectly to the breakers, the present panelboard provides load terminalsand contacts at opposite edges thereof, designated by the numeral 35 forcooperation with the load socket contacts 1 of the circuit breakers. Themounting brackets 15 are shown secured to a metal plate 36 by means ofbolts, or studs, 37. It is understood that plate 36 may be part of asupporting frame or the bottom wall of an enclosing case.

From the foregoing detailed description, it is apparent that ourinvention provides a novel and simple structure in which the supplybusses are mounted on one side of a panel and directly engaged bycontact members of the plug-in or stab type, which are arranged in a rowon the opposite side of the panel and secured to the bus bars from theopposite side.

While a particular embodiment of our invention has been described, itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes andmodifications may be made without departing from our invention in itsbroader aspects, and we aim, therefore, in the appended claims to coverall such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit andscope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A multiphase electric panelboard assembly comprising at least twomounting bases of rigid molded insulating material, each of saidinsulating bases having a plurality of transversely extending parallelconnector strap recesses in the front thereof and a plurality oflongitudinally extending parallel bus bar supporting surfaces on theback thereof extending generally at right angles to said recesses, saidinsulating bases each having inte gral ridge-like portions thereofextending between each pair of adjacent bus bar supporting surfaces, anaperture extending from each of said recesses to a different one of saidsupporting surfaces respectively, an electrical connecting strappositioned in each of said recesses and having a pair of integralcontact portions in side-by-side relation transversely of said base,said pairs of contact portions being aligned centrally on said base in adirection generally at right angles to said transversely extendingrecesses, a plurality of power supgiy bus bars each having a surfaceextending in contact with one of said supporting st faces at the back ofeach of said bases, said bases being disposed i stinporting surfacesthereof in alignment and said bus bars bridging and interconnecting saidbases, said connecting straps each hiding a portion overlying a shoulderportion of said base in one of said recesses and portion extending oversaid aperture in said recess, means electrically and mechanicallyconnecting each of said connecting straps to a respective one of saidbus bars through said aperture whereby said connecting straps and saidbus bars are rigidly interconnected and said base is held th between, 5connecting means all being accessible t insertion and removal "from saidfront of each of said bases, common supporting means for all of saidbases and said bus bars, a plurality of electric circuit breakers achhaving at least one plug-in type electri connector adjacent one endthereof, said circuit breakers being sup ported in pairs with thecircuit breakers of each pair extending in end-to-end substantiallyabutting relation on one of sa bases and with the said plug-inconnectors tnercot in engagement with said Contact portions of apredetermined one of said connecting straps, and means engaging a frontportion of said circuit breakers and retaining said c rcuit breakers onsaid insulating bases respectively in connected engagement with saidcontact portions.

2. A multiphase electric panelboard as set forth in .n side-by-siderelation with said tion overlying a front portion of one of said circuitbreakers and an end portion threadedly engaged in a portron of saidCommon supporting means, to retain said bases and said breakers on saidcommon support.

iietcrcnccs Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS977,123 Olley Nov. 29, 1910 1,452,752 Olley Apr. 24, 1923 1,715,689Wurdack June 4, 1929 1,815,033 Adam July Ill, 1931 1,929,925 Kuhn Oct.10, 1933 2,007,174 Benjamin July 9, 1935 2,5G9,701 Smith May 30, 19502,647,225 Cole July 28, 1953 2,707,761 Page May 3, 1955 2,737,613 MorrisMar. 6, 1956 REFERENCES NLTQ l-anelooards, a bulletin, TEE-14, by theTrumbull Electric Company, April 23, 1951..

